The invention relates generally to sugar crystallization and more particularly to controlling supersaturation during sugar crystallization.
Generally, sugar crystals may be formed in a sugar processing sub-system (e.g., a vacuum pan) when a sugar solution, such as a massecuite or sugar slurry, is supersaturated. The supersaturation degree of the sugar slurry may affect the sugar yield of the vacuum pan and the uniformity in sugar crystal size. Specifically, when the supersaturation degree becomes too high, conglomerates and fines may form. Conglomerates and fines may be undesirable because they may increase the cost of production of sugar. For example, the varied size may increase the difficulty of separating the crystals from the sugar slurry. Accordingly, to achieve higher sugar yields, to more efficiently process/produce sugar, and for easier centrifugation, it may be beneficial to better control the supersaturation degree in the vacuum pan during sugar crystallization.